


Loki and the Cup of Jonar

by Estirose



Category: Norse Mythology
Genre: Gen, Poetry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-23
Updated: 2009-12-23
Packaged: 2017-10-05 02:56:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/37047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Estirose/pseuds/Estirose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Loki seeks the wondrous Cup of Jonar.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Loki and the Cup of Jonar

**Author's Note:**

  * For [athersgeo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/athersgeo/gifts).



There was a cave in Jotunheim, a cave  
Thrusting deep into the earth. Deep  
Into the Earth, so deep that it  
Would have reached Hel's domain.

In that cave lived the giantess  
Domhildr, lived in the deep dark  
Cave with the Cup of Jonar. The Cup,  
The Cup was wond'rous, the Cup like  
A miniature sun sitting in the Earth.

Now Loki, Loki son of Farbauti heard  
Of this treasure, heard of this wond'rous  
Treasure deep within. The Cup shone  
like gold, like gold it shone, with magic  
It shone.

So plotted he did, alone he plotted,  
To go deep, deep into the Earth. Into the caves  
of the giantess Domhildr, to steal her  
Treasure, the wond'rous treasure within.

Silent he did, silently he strode, deep  
Into the Earth, far, far from the sky.  
Deep into the Earth, into the endless night.

There sat the giantess Domhildr,  
Domhildr the daughter of Bogi, Domhildr  
The Giantess, eating her meal. On the floor  
She sat, eating her meat, eating the meat that  
Had roasted on the fire, roasted long.

Quietly he crept, quietly along the floor. The  
Giantess didn't notice, caught up in her meal,  
Caught up in her meal of roasted meat.

Behind her, behind the giantess, shone a light,  
Shone a light so bright that no shadow was cast.  
This was the light, the light of the Cup of Jonar.  
Pure it shined, pure even the giantess seemed.

Too bright it was, too bright for stealth. But  
Loki stole upon the giantess, stole upon her with  
Garments of wool, garments hiding his manly figure.

Domhildr looked up, looked up in surprise, at his  
Appearance, his arrival therein. And then she spoke,  
She spoke to him.

"Why come you here," she asked, "come to the depths,  
The depths of Jotenheim, the wond'rous depths of  
Jotenheim to visit my caves, my caves so deep?"

"I come," Loki said, "to seek counsel of my fellow  
giantess, my fellow giantess so wise, the giantess  
Domhildr, living deep within the ground. I was told, I  
Was greatly told that you could answer my question,  
My question so dire."

"What is it?" she asked, "What is this dire question?  
What counsel do you seek, oh stranger, of me?  
Of me, Domhildr, guardian of the Cup of Jonar,  
The Cup of Jonar that I guard."

"I was told," Loki said, he said so earnestly,  
"That the Cup of Jonar could summon the dead.  
Could summon the dead unjustly slay'd,  
Could summon those slay'd by the gods."

"It cannot," she replied, she replied in sorrow,  
"It cannot summon, it cannot revive. The living  
The cup summons, the living to salve us, the  
Living, the missing, the ones not dead."

"Then," Loki asked, "I was mislead, mislead about  
The wond'rous Cup of Jonar, the Cup of Jonar  
That I sought? That my husband, my glorious  
Husband is gone?"

And then he calmed, gazing upon her, gazing  
Upon her with cunning eyes. Gazing upon her  
And upon her treasure, the Cup of Jonar, the  
Cup he sought.

She gazed back, gazed back calmly, gazed back  
At him, before turning her head. "Show you I will,"  
She said, "show you my treasure. The treasure I  
Guard, the treasure I guard well."

Then she moved, she moved gracefully, gracefully  
Moved to the cave of the Cup. Loki followed, he followed  
Her, he followed her to the cave which it sat.

The cup, it sat, blazing like the sun. Blazing like the  
Sun in the underground cavern. Loki gazed upon  
The cup, the cup so shining bright.

"May I touch?" he asked, he asked, eyes wide open,  
Eyes wide open in feigned innocence. With feigned  
Innocence he stood, stood in the entrance to the  
Cavern, the Cavern of the Cup of Jonar.

Only a moment, only a moment he needed, a moment  
With the cup, a moment to steal it. Only a moment  
To steal it from the lair of its guardian, the giantess  
Domhildr, its guardian standing nearby.

The giantess bowed her head, her head she slowly  
Bowed, her head she bowed as she stepped to one side.  
"Blessed is the cup," she said, "Blessed is the cavern  
It stays in; in the cavern, it remains."

Loki moved into the cavern with precision, not too fast,  
Not too slow. He moved into the cavern, reaching for  
The Cup, the Cup of Jonar, which sat in the cave,  
The cave waiting for him.

"It's as gold as the hair of the goddess Sif," he said,  
He said as she muttered softly, too softly to hear. "It  
Is beautiful, so beautiful, the treasure you guard."

He reached the Cup, the Cup so golden, put his hand  
On the Cup. Suddenly he was frozen, frozen as if he  
Was stone, frozen that he couldn't move.

"No giantess are you," Domhildr said, she said as she  
Strode into the room, strode in with purpose. "Know  
all the giants of the purpose of the Cup of Jonar, know  
they of its wards."

She touched the Cup, the Cup so golden, she caressed  
The Cup, the Cup that he had sought. Then, looking at  
Him, she stripped him of his clothes, his garments that  
Had hid him, had hid him so well.

"The one known as Loki you must be, the one so bold,  
The one that tricked Thrym, the one who tricked Thrym  
of his bride, the one who tricked Thrym of his bride, Freya.  
Fooled I am not, I am not fooled, Loki, son of Farbauti."

And Loki seethed inside, inside he seethed, as the giantess  
Domhildr stood there. Stood there she did, appraising him,  
Appraising his nakedness, deciding his worth.

As she did so, the Cup shone, it shone so brightly, it shone  
brightly as bright as ten suns. The giantess Domhildr shielded  
Her eyes, her eyes she shielded, as the light dazzled Loki,  
Loki frozen still.

As the light dimmed, it dimmed from the cup, the cup returned  
To its normal brightness. The giantess Domhildr blinked her eyes,  
Her eyes did she blink, to clear her vision, her vision to clear.

Now in the cavern stood the goddess Sif, the goddess Sif she  
Stood. Holding her sword she did, holding her sword at the ready.  
And she brought it up, up high, and brought it to bear. Brought it  
To bear she did, onto Domhildr, through Domhildr's neck.

And Domhildr's head slid, slid it did, to the ground. It slid to  
The ground, the body following, the remains of the giantess  
Domhildr. Beside her, the Cup dimmed, the Cup of Jonar dimmed.  
As Loki watched, the Cup dimmed and faded until it was no more.

Turned Sif to him, he who could move, she turned to him, nodding.  
"Owed you a favor I did, I owed you a favor, for returning Mjöllnir.  
The giantess is gone, the Cup of Jonar too. Return we should, return  
we should to Asgard."

Brimming with regret, Loki nodded, he nodded with regret. The Cup  
Was gone, the Cup he sought, the magic cup he sought. With Sif  
He left the caves of Domhildr, bereft of treasure, bereft of what  
He sought. He returned to Asgard in shame.

And thus goes the tale of Loki and the Cup of Jonar.


End file.
